Etymotic’s hf2 ear-phones make my ears happy
Posted by: Edd Mills on: January 13, 2009
The idea of going on a train journey (or any journey lasting more than 5 minutes) without any music pumping into my ears is almost a crime to humanity in my books. For this reason, when I realised that I had lost/forgotten my Sennheiser headphones on my return to Manchester, the only thing I could do was go buy some new ones. I’d had my eye on the Etymotic hf2 earphones for a while and decided to take this opportunity to get myself a pair from the Apple Store. At £100 a pop they’re by far the most expensive headphones I’ve ever paid for, but I was hopeful that they would live up to my expectations.
Well, after using them for about half hour, the left ear bud fell open revealing the wires inside. ‘Um, no’ was the nice way to describe what I thought at seeing this and decided to return them to the Apple store the next day. They replaced them instantly so that was good and I’m pleased to say the second pair have no suffered the same fate and seem fine.
I guess that doesn’t matter though now. The sound quality from them is simply incredible. Once sealed in your ear canal (they recommend you life your ear upwards and outwards, insert the bud then release as to create a tight seal) the noise isolation is spot on. When on the bus, I can hear pretty much nothing that is going on around me. From the gobby fat girl to the drunken bum, they could be as good as dead. The great thing about this is that you don’t need the volume maxed out to be able to comfortably listen to your music as most of the background noise is removed simply by the seal the bud makes in your ear. The hands free unit works a treat too, although I am now experiencing looks of disgust/fear/confusion from passers by as I walk down Market Street seemingly having a full on conversation with myself.
I was a little annoyed that the cables aren’t set up so that one side is longer than the other so you can run it around the back of your neck. Also, the cable itself isn’t as sturdy feeling as my old Shure buds but their cable broke so perhaps that’s a mute point.
Verdict: If you’re after some great quality buds for on or just below the £100 mark these are spot on. If you’ve got the cash, the Ultimate Ears with hands-free look similarly awesome but retail for £150+ so you’re moving into another class of product.
Dots gloves: because you still need to answer the phone when it’s cold.
Posted by: Edd Mills on: November 16, 2008
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I suppose it wasn’t so much a ‘flaw’ in Apple’s design as much as it was an unfortunate side effect to have a completely touch screen device, but the inability to use your iPhone whilst wearing gloves is a problem, especially during winter when it’s so damn cold. I live in Manchester in the UK and it’s ridiculously cold at the moment and having to remove my gloves to use my phone was a little silly. To solve this problem, enter Dots Gloves.
Essentially, Dots Gloves are just woollen gloves with metal dots punched into the thumb, and the two subsequent fingers, which the iPhone responds to input from. They’re really smooth so there is no chance of scratching the screen (plus, let’s face it, the chance of scratching the glass on an iPhone is pretty difficult anyway.) Glove wise, they’re really nice. They’re just standard, thick knitted gloves so they’re nice and warm and serve that purpose well. Not really an achievement in the world of gloves, but it’s probably worth mentioning in case you were unsure.
I guess the main question here is just how do they work when used with your iPhone. Well the simple answer is that it depends what you’re planning to do. If you’d planned to type out emails and text messages whilst wearing your gloves, I feel you’ll be out of luck. Due to the dots being considerably smaller than your finger, it’s extremely difficult to type accurately using the gloves and on top of that, if you type with two thumbs, you’ll find the phone slips out of your hand because the gloves lack any grip. I did find I was able to type a bit by holding the phone in one hand and punching in letters with the other but it was pretty tedious so I tend to just wait till I’m somewhere warmer to reply or I call. For just basic use of the phone, answering and making calls, use of the iPod and so on, the gloves work well and I think that that is the main point. When you’ve got your gloves on, you want to be able to answer the phone quickly or change your song without taking them off and the gloves allow you to do so with ease.
Overall I’m pretty pleased. If I’m honest, I was expecting to be typing away on the phone using the gloves but I think that was a bit of a dream. Nevertheless, it’s nice to be able to make calls, use the iPod and so on without having to take the gloves off. I think whar would help is if they made a similar glove, but with a leather glove rather than wool. It would give a lot more grip for typing, and leather tends to allow you to use your hands in a more natural way than you can when wearing woollen gloves. I would recommend them if you’re after something like this, just bear in mind the slight issues with typing and you should be fine.
On a side note, I ordered my gloves in late September and received them in early November. Having emailed at the end of October, I was told that there was a month wait for the gloves due to the demand. When 6 weeks came around, I emailed again and was told that they were experiencing supply problems. Couple days later, the guy who had originally replied emailed to say he’d posted my gloves off to me, which was much appreciated. I say this to highlight that the demand is high, so if you want some, order as soon as possible or winter will be over by the time you get them! Hopefully the supply issues are sorted soon as to deal with the influx of orders they appear to be receiving, especially in the run up to Christmas.
I say listen
Posted by: Edd Mills on: June 14, 2008
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You say “wahey”. Here are three bands/albums I’ve come across this past week that I thought would be of interest to some:
Death Ships – Seeds of Devastation
They’re an indie/folk kind of set up from the States and I’m quite liking them at the minute, especially with my recent love of all things folk.
Few other super albums I’ve come across in the past few days:
Voxtrot – Voxtrot
Voxtrot MySpace
Voxtrot are an indie/pop band from Texas.
Woodhands – Heart Attack
Woodhands MySpace
They’re a dancey/poppy/electro type band – Dancer is awesome, I’m hoping they gain a bit of popularity so it comes on in clubs. Go, Up The Racket!
Titus Andronicus – The Airing Of Grievances
Titus Andronicus MySpace
I got hold of these after being told they were similar to Two Gallants. Whilst I think this description was a touch off-base to say the least, I still kind of see where they were coming from. Awesome album, definitely worth a listen.
There were a few others but I’ll save them for another post perhaps. Anyone come across anything exciting lately?
Apple’s reliance on fashion will be their downfall.
Posted by: Edd Mills on: January 16, 2008
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With the success of the iPod, Apple shot into the public eye. Apple quickly became the creator of some of the most fashionable gadgets on the market and they were quick to grab this status by the horns. Rapid product updates, simplistic design and surprisingly arrogant advertising boosted Apple’s image to new heights. Such fashion invites a certain audience, namely a younger, fashion conscious audience as proven by the wide spread adoption of the iPod by younger people. That isn’t to say that iPods do not sell well to the older generations, but the sub-30 age group certainly take to such products more rapidly.
The iPod had an obvious market; users who wanted a good looking, easy to use music player and the iPod gave them that in style. Then we have the Mac desktops and its partner OS. These, again, appealed to those wanting something easy to use that “just worked”. They also gained a lot of interest from graphic designs and other design orientated industries. Similarly, the Macbook was squarely aimed at the college student wanting something relatively small and with a lower price tag where as the Macbook Pro was, as the name implies, a more professional unit for power users. So in terms of the big hitting Apple products, they all hit a set market and seem relatively seated in their position. So what about Apple’s two newest products, where exactly do they sit?
Firstly, the iPhone. The iPhone, in my opinion, was rushed out of the door due to the delays Apple had already had to apply to Leopard. Considering their continual mockery of Microsoft for not being able to push big updates out on a regular basis, they needed to get Leopard released. The iPhone lacked many basic features where it was first released. One such feature that has only just been addressed is that of sending SMS to multiple recipients. One of the most basic features of a modern mobile phone missing from Apple’s wonder device. That is without even mentioning the lack of video recording from the camera and other extremely unexpected absences from the device. The big absence from the iPhone for me was its lack of appeal to the business audience. With such a high price tag both upfront and monthly, the iPhone wasn’t attempting to appeal to a budget market. The business market tends to be a big influence when it comes to the higher priced devices (such as smart phones), yet Apple’s device still seemed aimed at the average user due to its lack of office-type applications. So where does this leave iPhone? The people buying these phones are those who wish to buy into Apple’s image. The iPhone is a status symbol, a sign of wealth and fashion. No other company could release such a feature lacking device and yet still sell millions. If Apple were to lose their fashionable image, would iPhone still sell? In my opinion, not a chance. Well, not at the current price it wouldn’t.
In almost exactly the same vein is the Macbook Air. What sort of users need an ultra-portable with a relatively small screen? You can take designers off the list, a 13.3” screen isn’t going to cut it when wanting to do real design work. Business users are, again, a potential market but with the widespread adoption of Windows systems, what incentives is there to buy a Mac and have to deal with the incompatibilities? A student may wish to use such a device, it’s portable, wireless nature would make it great for working in different places. The problem is how many students can afford a laptop that costs £1200+? The simply answer is very few. So yet again, we end up with the Apple fans who want that status, especially the sort of status a £1200 Apple laptop brings. This is forgetting the lack of inputs, optical drives and other simple yet missing features. Just who, minus Apple’s fans, would buy such an expensive device when there are other viable alternatives for far less?
If Apple’s newest products continue to rely so heavily on their image they could be in for a massive shock further down the line. No one stays fashionable forever, before Apple and their iPod hit the big time, the Walkman was the fashionable product – things can and do change. If Apple’s future product line continues to be so unappealing to anyone outside of their fan base, they are sure to fall flat on their faces when they are eventually kicked from their podium.
Desperate Housewives Season 4 Episode 10 airing this Sunday
Posted by: Edd Mills on: January 3, 2008
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ABC have given in and are airing the second part of the epic tornado episode. Will Lynette’s family all be as dead as Mary Alice? Where will Mrs McCluskey live? What will happen to Carlos and Gabby? Oh I shake at the thought.
For you Americans, it’s on Sunday. For everyone else, get your downloading finger ready very early Monday morning.
Edd loves homewares
Posted by: Edd Mills on: January 2, 2008
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So I decided to make a blog about them. See how I get on here.
And I promise, deeply, to update this blog more often. I keep meaning to but I’m a bad, bad person. (What’s worse is that I have so little to do I have no excuse not to make 10 posts every day.)
I got frogs!
Posted by: Edd Mills on: November 4, 2007
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Anybody for regular posts? Could be a bit of a novelty but I’ll do my best. For those intrigued by the excitement that is my life, I’m currently at Uni now, studying Geography up in glorious Manchester. It’s like Birmingham, only more alternative.
On to the title, frogs! I’ve loved exotic animals for ages and I’ve kept a few exotic insects in my time. I’ve had a giant millipede, a praying mantis and some giant African land snails. At the time, I was pretty young so caring for them was a bit lax, largely because I couldn’t afford anything slightly premium in relation to their care. But all that is changed, I have student loan now! So I went to a local pet shop in Manchester (Swan Street Pet Shop) who were so much help. In the end, I bought myself two White’s Tree Frogs along with a mammoth vivarium and some nice decor to make the tank look all pretty and suave. It did cost quite a lot, but I’ve done a few extra hours at work to cover it so it’s ay-okay. Ish.
So they’re currently in the corner of my room, slouching about. They’re ridiculously cute, I can’t help but smile when watching them fumble around the vivarium. I fed them for the first time last night and they went mad for the crickets. I put ten in and they’re all gone so that’s good because sometimes they don’t eat when they get to a new home so I assume they must quite like it here. I’m still as worried as a mother about the heat which just won’t get up to that magical 30 degrees mark in spite of having the heat mat on. I’ve whacked the radiator in my room on so hopefully it’ll all warm up and become a bit tropical. I’m sure they’ll be fine.
My only niggle is that they eat live crickets. I have no issue with live food, it’s just that crickets are a pain in the arse. They’re now in the bottom of my wardrobe where they’ll most likely stay until I’m ready for them!
European Playstation Store Update: Folklore Demo
Posted by: Edd Mills on: August 22, 2007
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The European Playstation Store has finally been given a half note-worthy update! Boot up your PS3 now to download the Folklore demo (only available until August 31st for some reason) as well as trailers and videos from Leipzig so far.
Sony have also announced a TV recorder add on that is due out early next year for us Europeans. Should be hearing more from Sony towards the end of the week; as much as the DVR thing is nice, I want more game related updates -namely when we’re going to see Killzone 2.
It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for: A-level results day.
Posted by: Edd Mills on: August 16, 2007
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This month, so far, has been really quite exciting for me. I bought myself a swanky new monitor and Playstation 3, so that was nice, but, of course, results day was the big factor. Will I? Won’t I? Will I just curl up into a ball and vanish if I don’t make the grade? There was only one way to find out. This was the day I’ve been waiting for for almost 2 months now. The day that would decide what I’d be doing for the next 3 years; so really quite important really. I stopped over at my friend’s house as we’d gone out to Snobs in Birmingham on Wednesday night because I’d figured I’d sleep better if I was a little drunk. That plan worked, so that’s a tip to remember next time you’re shitting bricks about something (driving test anyone?).
We arrived at college just before 10 and went in to get the fabled white envelope. Annoyingly, my results had been held back because I hadn’t returned some tatty 1000 year old book I’d borrowed from the library. After promising to bring it in later, they lowered the guns, unlocked the chains and released my results into my shaking, sweaty hands. I promptly ripped it open and a slip of paper fell out that basically said that I should feel free to speak to a member of staff if my results weren’t as I hoped. My stomach did somewhat drop at this because, with prior knowledge of the AS results last year, they only put those in for people who don’t make the grade. So, more nervous than ever, I got my results out and tried to make out my grades from the mess that is the result slip (Seriously, who designs these things? Especially Edexel, it’s a disgrace!) I read through and felt a surge of relief. I’d got ABB and a B in General Studies. Now, my offer was AAB so I needed to get on UCAS to check. After throwing a slightly dirty look and my Geography teacher (he was a muppet) I got into the computer room and got myself on UCAS. Typically, my login didn’t work so I had to get the IT technician to get me online. I don’t think he appreciated how forceful I was being with him, but I went on the basis that I’d most likely never see him again so it was okay. So, I typed in my application number… my username… my password… clicked login.
I let out a little scream which invited some really quite annoyed looks from some (perhaps they’d been rejected?) but I didn’t care. Smiling like a Cheshire cat, I rung my parents to tell them I’d been accepted into Manchester University. As they answered, I burst into tears. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relieved in my entire life. The feeling of knowing the past two years of work were worth every single minute was euphoric. I then went on to phone the endless list of names I’d agglomerated over the past month, promising to tell them how I’d got on. I had to cut them off quite quickly though because I couldn’t speak through my tears and somewhat worryingly staggered breathing. Once my friends calmed me down (alas, out of a group of some 8 girlfriends, I was the only one in tears) I headed home. And that was that really, I’d done it.
That was my aim for the past two years and it was done. Even as I write now, it feels so strange. In just a matter of weeks my whole life is going to change completely. I’ll be moving out, leaving my parents, having to deal with a long distance relationship, cook for myself (dear God, I’ll just be living on pasta for the next three years at this rate. And perhaps the odd batch of noodles), and, of course, budgeting. But while I do feel quite scared at the prospect, it’s also incredibly invigorating. It’s going to be amazing, and I can’t wait for it all to start.
To everyone who got A-level results today, I hope they were what you needed to get you where you wanted to go (and commiserations to those who are awaiting decisions from Oxford and Cambridge, that must be fun.) If you didn’t get into where you wanted, I hope you’ve found a solution that works for you.
Here’s to the next step.
New Facebook features on the way?
Posted by: Edd Mills on: July 31, 2007
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Facebook is down at the moment, displaying the message “We’re upgrading”. I wonder whether this is just a server upgrade or there are some new features due? I’m hoping for some more options to do with disabling certain applications but we’ll soon see.
Update: Facebook is back up now with no noticeable updates from what I can see. Someone in the comments says that there are rumours floating about that Facebook got hacked, so it’ll be interesting to see if Facebook say anything more about all the down time.
Update 2: According to Mashable, the down time was due to a bug that was allowing users to log into other people’s accounts and see, basically, pages they shouldn’t of been able to. However, they have denied all claims of being hacked saying that the down time was solely due to the aforementioned bug.
